The abundance of unpaid summer internships have sparked controversy in recent years, with some experts criticizing a culture of 'cheap labor' and arguing that students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds often can't afford to go unpaid.

Yet according to a new study released by Glassdoor, there are a handful of internships in the U.S. that not only pay, but compensate much more than the average full-time job.

Interns at top companies can earn anywhere between $6,000 and $8,000 a month, according to data gathered by the job website, which totals $72,000 - $96,000 over a 12-month period.

Facebook clocked in as having the highest-paying program at $8,000 a month. Pictured, John Kerry speaks with developers at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, California in 2016

Microsoft also trailed closely behind Facebook at number two and $7,100 a month

According to the new study released by Glassdoor, these are the top-paying internships in the US

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Glassdoor found that the median annual salary for a full-time American worker, on the other hand, is $51,350. And the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a slightly lower figure for the average yearly income: $44,460.

Among some of the companies found to shell out the most for internships, Facebook (perhaps not surprisingly) clocked in as having the highest-paying program at $8,000 a month, while Microsoft trailed closely behind at $7,100.

One former software engineer intern said about the latter: 'Microsoft has their hands on absolutely everything, so you get to talk to a lot of very smart and interesting people. Probably has the best intern benefits out there.'

Amazon, which has been praised by employees in the past for its positive company culture, was ranked at number five and pays $6,400 a month.

Apple, Yahoo, Yelp and Bloomberg also made it into the top 10 highest paying internships.

Some lesser-known additions to the list included Qualcomm, which offers engineering internships at $5,040 a month, and insurance company AIG.

Interns have described getting to work on 'meaningful projects' and 'hackathons' during their three-month program at Qualcomm.

All told, a majority of the jobs on the list were in the technology, oil and banking sectors.

Other companies have been known to pay generous amounts for internships, but Glassdoor stated that only organizations with 25 or more self-reported intern salaries were included on the list.